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Rustic Shows
Gatherings and
Art Shows
that are rustic friendly
Books
Making Gypsy Willow Furniture by Bim Willow®
(paper back)
Making Willow Furniture
By Bim Willow®
Three Women Share their Art
Making Rustic Twig Furniture By
Bim Willow ®
Naturally Furnished
By Bim Willow®
So You Want to be a Rustic Furniture Maker?
Tips of the Trade by
Bim Willow®
a free E-book
Groups
Twig Furniture Group
Canadian Rustic Furniture Group
Workshops
Ron Gershon
Wonderful Works of Willows
By Ann Weekes
Ron was always interested in willow making. He has fine-tuned his skills himself, with some help from books. New designs are always in the works, with a goal of one per week as his objective, boasting over 100 items so far. “The ideas just come to me”, he states. A sample is made, and then improvements are made from there – a trial and error process. He has a high standard of workmanship, which is very evident upon close scrutiny. Drying the wood first is important, and using deck screws, or galvanized ring-shank nails as fasteners makes the pieces strong. A good quality sealer is applied for outdoor items, which should be maintained yearly.
Wintertime is when the willow collecting is done because there is less sap in the branches. The wood is stored inside a building until such time as it is needed. Old barn boards are gathered (with permission) from old farmyards – soon to be an extinct commodity. Other woods such as pine, oak and cedar are purchased from the lumberyard. The aromatic cedar adds a touch of luxury. Hours are spent in the workshop with miter saw, wood lathe, table saw, band saw, planer, and assorted tools to work with the wood products. The old garage serves the purpose well with the wood stove for heat, but there is never enough room.
Framing is a big part of Gershon’s business. He sells about 50 different frame moldings with rabbets, made from a wide range of materials: willow, bark, barn board, leather, horseshoe nails, feathers and beads, to name a few. The mitering of joints is time consuming when there are several rounds of willow, or different types of wood inlaid into the other. He frames pieces of art: wildlife, fishing, hunting pictures and cartoons that he finds interesting. Ron cuts his own matting and glass for the frames.
Many of the pieces consist of more than one type of wood. He combines willow and barn-board in a nice little side-table. Diamond willow discs are resin poured to form a durable coffee tabletop. A mosaic design within a framework also looks very attractive. Various types of antlers are incorporated into some of the freeform pieces. The King chairs are made from peeled diamond willow. There is a lot of work involved bending and shaping the willows particularly for Victorian styles. Arbors and trellis’ are good examples of this. Patio planters are his best seller at green houses or at trade shows, while plant stands are Ron’s favorite thing to make. Hanging baskets, garden baskets, and heart plant hangers are perfect for the outdoors. Tables (heart shaped, cocktail, or coffee tables), stacking stands, loveseats, and ottomans are great for the indoors or out. Mirrors come in all shapes and sizes such as the gothic style. A western hat rack is the new kid on the block. Corner shelves, kitchen chairs, and birdhouse stands are more of the original designs. The list goes on. He even makes chairs from old pickets. The wood from by gone days was good quality, and still is today.
Horn mounting is another of Ron’s talents. An avid hunter and fisherman, he has a connection with wildlife. A rich velveteen fabric is used to display the rack of the wild animals.
R&E WILLOWS. Ron Gershon can be contacted by phone:
306-773-9025, mail: Box 37, WALDECK, Sask. S0N 0N0, or
email: re_willows@yahoo.ca
